Pancreas Statistics
What are some general facts/statistics about organ transplants? *One organ donor can save up to eight lives. The same donor can also save or improve the lives of up to 50 people by donating tissues and eyes. *Each year, more than one million people need lifesaving and life-improving tissues, and eyes. *Anytime you are in a hospital, doctors will do all they can to save your life. Donation only occurs after the death of a patient is declared by physicians who are legally not affiliated with donation. *The factors that determine who receives an organ include severity of illness, time spent on the waiting list, and blood type. Financial or celebrity status has no bearing on determining who receives a transplant. *Donation takes place under the same sterile conditions as any medical procedure. A donor’s body is never disfigured and donation does not interfere with funeral arrangements. Open casket services are possible. *If you’re a donor, your family does not pay any bills related to donation *All major religions support donation. *The success rate for organ transplants is between 80 and 90 percent. *There are more than 4,500 people waiting for organ transplants in Canada today. *It only takes a few minutes to become an organ and tissue donor. *2,124 organs transplanted in 2012. *256 people on those waitlists died before receiving transplants in 2012. *You can donate certain organs and tissues while you’re still alive: a kidney, part of the liver, and a lobe of the lung. *As our population ages, the need for organ and tissue donations will increase. *Most Canadians waiting for an organ donor need new kidneys. *Anyone can be a potential donor. Age is less important than the health of your organs and tissues. *Canada is a world leader in the field of transplantation - the world’s first single (1983) and double (1986) lung transplants were performed in Ontario. What are some facts/statistics about transplanting the pancreas? *The first pancreas transplantation was performed in 1966. *In 1979 the first living-related partial pancreas transplantation was done. *For each pancreatic islet allo-transplant infusion, researchers use specialized enzymes to remove islets from the pancreas of a single, deceased donor. *The goals of the transplant are to help these patients achieve normal blood glucose levels with or without daily injections of insulin and to reduce or eliminate hypoglycemia unawareness. *About 60 percent of transplant recipients achieved insulin independence—defined as being able to stop insulin injections for at least 14 days—during the year following transplantation. *· Better outcome for patients: o Age 35 years or older o Lower pre-transplant triglyceride, or blood fat, levels o Lower pre-transplant insulin use *· Side effects or long term effects from a pancreatic transplant can be: o Mouth sores o Upset stomach o Diarrhea o Increased blood cholesterol, or blood fat, levels o High blood pressure o Anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are fewer or smaller than normal, which prevents the body's cells from getting enough oxygen. o Fatigue o Decreased white blood cell counts o Decreased kidney function. o Increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. *· Taking immunosuppressive medications also increases the risk of developing certain tumours and cancers. *· A person who receives a pancreatic islet transplant should follow a meal plan worked out with a health care provider and dietician. Based on the statistics about transplant, what do you predict will happen to organ transplantation in the future (20 years from now). I predict that 20 years from now, organ transplant will only become easier and faster especially to the donor and the patient. I think more and more deaths will conclude with healthy organs for donation as medical technologies can only get better and more efficient and accessible. Therefore organ donors will build on the already existing 2% of deaths that could save many people’s lives. I also believe that the success rate of organ transplant will increase alongside more technically advanced technologies for more precise surgeries which could conclude with better results. Another thing is that more people will become aware of such organ transplants and will donate their money to further organ transplant research and/or sign a consent card to allow donation of their own organs if they are pronounced brain dead. That is what I predict which path organ donation will lead in the future which is towards better and more efficient technologies and further notice of organ transplant around the world. -Kaiyu Gao, 2014. This page was written by: Kaiyu Gao Sources [http://www.bibme.org/# "Surgery." Pancreas Transplantation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2014. .] [http://www.bibme.org/# "Pancreas transplantation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 May 2014. .]